Last Call
by SereneQuill
Summary: This wasn't what Jack had been expecting when Vince called him for a drunkbus pick up. Jack/Nathan. Spoilers for all of Season 2, particularly an unresolved question from 213 A Night in Global Dynamics.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Last Call, Part 1/3

Pairing: Jack/Nathan

Rating: PG, overall NC-17

Word Count: 2700 this part.

Warnings: Spoilers through Season 2, especially certain cliffhangers from episode 213, "A Night in Global Dynamics".

Disclaimer: Don't own them, but if I did, this is how season 3 would kick off.

A/N: First Eureka Fic! Feedback greatly appreciated and given cookies… well, okay, maybe not _real_ cookies…

Jack sauntered into Café Diem, whistling happily. Jo had handled the one previous drunk-bus call from Vince during his tenure in Eureka. There was something completely amusing to Jack about the idea of the smartest people in the world getting smashed and needing to be driven home by him. "Hey, Vince!" he greeted the man behind the counter. "Where's my inebriate?"

Vince rolled his eyes and flapped a dishcloth toward a darkened corner. "Over there. He's been alternating between handsy with everyone and nearly lopping off your head with his crankiness." Vince looked appraisingly at Jack. "Though I imagine you'll only have problems with one of those when he sees you."

Jack leaned over a little further so he could see the drunken sprawl of Nathan Stark. His tie had somehow landed half in an abandoned mug of coffee and half off the table, while his shirt had more buttons undone than fastened. His suit jacket was nowhere to be found. "Oh yeah, he'll be just thrilled to see me," he agreed sarcastically. He sighed, straightened up, and walked warily up to Stark's table, missing Vince's smirk.

"Sheriff!" Stark greeted him, taking Jack aback with his overly cheerful tone. "You should have a drink. Toast the fact that you've won."

"Yeah," Jack rolled back onto his heels and forward again, dragging out the word. "Except I'm on duty, and Vince just cut you off."

"Huh," Stark peered into the now empty sifter on his table. "Thought I had some left. I've decided drunk cancels the laws of fysi--, pixy--, psychics. Those, you know?"

"Uh huh," Jack said, cocking an eyebrow back at Vince, who shrugged helplessly. "Never let him get this drunk again, understand?" he said, surprised by his own protective anger curling tightly in his gut.

"You got it, Sheriff, but…" Vince bit his lip, looking helpless. "I figured he was kind of entitled, this once."

"Yeah, I'm sure he was," Jack replied dryly. "Come on, Stark, let's get you home so you can sleep off whatever project disaster brought this on."

He put an arm under Stark's elbow, helping him stand, only to wrap and arm around the other man's waist to hold him up. Stark grabbed onto his shoulders, crumpling against him. "Ver' nice," he slurred, his hand suddenly petting Jack's chest.

"Handsy, huh?" Jack quipped, catching the grin Vince was trying to hide. "Got his keys?"

"Here," Vince tossed them into Carter's free one, and Carter pocketed them. "Have a good night."

"Thanks," Jack replied, staggering a little under Stark's weight. "You're heavier than I thought," he grumbled, awkwardly maneuvering Stark and himself through the door Vince held open for them.

"Think about me often?" Stark quipped, and suddenly his hand was sliding along the ridge where Jack's pants met his shirt.

"You're going to hate yourself tomorrow if you remember this," Jack groaned, willing his body not to react. He slapped Stark's hand away, and managed to get him into the passenger seat of his Jeep.

"Jo, this is Carter. I've just picked up Stark and am taking him home, over." There was a long pause after Jack said this, and he could imagine Jo's jaw dropping.

"Carter, come back, I could have sworn you just said Stark was your drunk call, over."

"That's an affirmative," Jack managed, noticing that Stark was suddenly digging through the glove box. "I'm going to head home from there unless you need anything, over."

"Nah, sounds like you got the worst of the evening. Have a good night, over and out."

"Get out of there," Jack said, pushing Stark back in his seat. He reached across the man, buckling him in. Stark fortunately lapsed into a quiet phase, his head lolling against the window. "Of all the times not to have a camera," Jack muttered, starting the Jeep.

After a moment, he became aware of Stark rummaging in his pockets. "Lost my keys," the scientist muttered, his voice so drugged and drained that Jack snorted, trying to contain his laughter.

"I've got them," Jack told him. "And when you can pass a field sobriety test, you can have them back." He swerved suddenly as Stark's fingers were suddenly groping inside his pocket, looking for his keys. "Hey, stop," he protested.

"Shy, Sheriff?" Stark was chuckling now, his fingers moving deliberately along Jack's thigh and deeper into his pocket.

"Yeah, I'm thinking Allison wouldn't be too happy with you about this," Jack said, his mind racing. He reached down and covered Nathan's hand with his own. He winced as he heard his own thought. "Nath- Stark, you need to stop. I don't know what you're trying to drown tonight, but I don't think trying to start something with me is going to help you feel better tomorrow."

Stark sighed, suddenly tearing his hand away from Jack's. "Allie doesn't get a say, she told me no," he growled.

"She does that all the time," Jack remarked, losing his patience. "What crazy project of yours did she say no to?"

"Marrying me again," Stark admitted, his tone suddenly a little too solemn and sober for Jack's liking. "What a surprise, she doesn't want me. No one seems to want me tonight."

"Everyone is avoiding taking advantage of you while you're drunk," Jack replied sensibly, carefully not responding to the first half of what Stark said. "You can make their lives a living hell. They all either work for you or work for Allison."

"You don't," Stark replied, rolling in his seat back toward Jack. "Not really."

"See, now I know you're too drunk to remember any of this. No way you ever admit that sober," Jack groused. "Why don't I have a video camera?"

"I suppose I wouldn't proposition you sober," Stark mused.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Stark, you're straight. You wouldn't proposition any guy while sober. You're the only drunk in history to use the word proposition correctly though."

"No, I even tried to tell you once that I swung both ways, but as usual, right over your head." Jack remained silent, not sure how to respond. Stark, likewise, lapsed into quiet contemplation, staring at Jack.

Jack pulled into Stark's driveway, and looked over, considering the other man for a long moment. He sighed, turning off the Jeep and climbing out. He pulled Stark's door open to find he had wormed out of his seatbelt and now slid into Jack's arms. "Okay, easy," Jack said as the other man grabbed onto him.

"I knew you cared," Stark murmured, his lips brushing against Jack's throat in a way that made him need to brace against his knees buckling. Jack had started to pull Stark upright again when the lips against the side of his neck slipped from talking to planting tiny kisses and nips.

"You need to stop," Jack managed to gasp, weakly pushing at Stark's shoulders. His body shuddered as a trill of pleasure slid down his spine. "Geez, Vince said you were handsy, but he didn't mention you kissing half the town."

"Didn't try to kiss half the town," Stark said, suddenly straightening up and pushing Jack up against the side of the Jeep. The sudden display of dominance was undermined by how he collapsed bonelessly against the sheriff. "Just tryin' to kiss you, Carter."

Jack was about to respond when Stark eagerly surged forward, attempting to cover Jack's lips with his own. Jack reluctantly turned his head so Stark's lips slid to his cheek instead. He hauled him up carefully, sighing. "You're drunk and upset about Allison," Jack told the inebriated scientist. "I'm putting you to bed, and if you remember this tomorrow, we can talk then."

"Promise?" Stark asked, suddenly letting out a dark chuckle that on any other man, Jack would have described as giggling. "Okay, Sheriff Jack."

"God, please never get drunk again," Jack said to himself as he hauled Stark up to his front door. He pulled Stark's keys out and got the door open one handed. There seemed to be far too many pieces of furniture between the door and the bedroom. Finally maneuvering the drunken man to his bed, he meant to lower Stark easily to the mattress. Stark had ideas of his own and pulled free of Jack's grip. He collapsed onto the bed, curling inward.

"Okay, good," Jack decided, reaching down and carefully removing the other man's shoes. He paused, considering. Stark's eyes were closed. He carefully undid Stark's belt as well and removed it slowly. He hesitated, but morbid curiosity and lust had overridden his common sense. His fingers found the buttons on Stark… Nathan's shirt. If he was going to admit to having feelings for the other man, he supposed he could start allowing himself to think of Nathan by his first name. He stripped Nathan down to his boxers, and then tucked the other man in, pausing to gently kiss him on the forehead.

"Knew you cared," Nathan murmured sleepily. "Stay?"

"I'll be on the couch," Jack compromised, sighing inwardly. This would be trouble, he was sure. He grabbed his cell phone and called Zoë. "Hey, kiddo."

"You on your way home?" she asked, and Jack could hear her yawn.

"I'm actually going to crash over at Stark's place for tonight. He got himself pretty drunk and wound up tonight. The last thing we need is for him to go wander and start more trouble right now. You okay on your own?"

"Yeah, Dad, I'm fine. Do you think he's going to be okay?"

"We'll see how he's feeling in the morning, but I think he'll be back to his usual self."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. "He always seems so in control, but loosing Allison…" Zoë remarked. "Dad, I know you and him don't get along, but do you think you can—"

"Yeah," Jack agreed easily. "Yeah, I know, Zoë. You already heard what happened?"

"Well, I heard from Jo, when she called to let me know where you were, but by now, I'm sure Vince has told…"

"Okay, I get it, the whole town knows. Gotta love the small town grape vine," Jack groaned, rubbing his temples. "All right, I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Dad."

"Night," Jack echoed, snapping his phone shut. He eyed Stark's utilitarian couch, then the overstuffed recliner, quickly deciding on the later. He dropped his belt, over shirt, and boots next to the chair. He untucked his shirt and settled into the chair, listening for sounds from the next room for a long time before he managed to fall into a light sleep.

-

Jack woke at his usual early hour and started Nathan's coffee maker. He poured a cup for himself, and waited. When Nathan didn't appear, he poured a second mug and crossed to Nathan's doorway, taking a moment to watch the man sleep. Catching himself, he crossed and set the mug down on the nightstand. "Good morning, sunshine."

Nathan opened one eye blearily. "I'd kill you, but you have coffee," he said roughly, and Jack helped Nathan into a sitting position, then eased the mug into his hands. He held up a bottle of aspirin, and Nathan held up three fingers.

"How bad are you feeling?" Jack asked sympathetically, shaking out the pills and handing them to Nathan.

"Not nearly as bad as I expected," Nathan admitted. "How much did I embarrass myself last night?"

"Not, I mean, no…"

"Sheriff, I always make a fool of myself when I drink," Nathan managed to groan, trying to get his balance as he swung his feet to the floor. "And you suck at lying. So don't bother."

Jack regarded him for a long moment. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I'll spend the day drinking water and letting my terrible memories filter back, as they usually do. Unless I did something you're going to want to arrest me for?" A touch of Nathan's usual sarcasm was back in his voice.

"No," Jack replied. His mind was racing. Nathan didn't remember the night before. He seemed to think he might, later, but Jack doubted it. He had been too drunk.

"Really bad, huh?" Nathan observed. When Jack looked up in confusion, he added, "Whatever I did last night. You have that look, and you're here this morning."

"You had a lot of people really worried," Jack admitted, shrugging. "Figured either I stayed or I had to call Fargo to come stay with you."

"God, that's something I'd never want to wake up hung over to," Nathan admitted with a wince. "Fargo," he clarified, and Jack nodded.

"You need anything?" Jack asked, suddenly feeling like an idiot. "Otherwise, I'm going to head home."

"I'll be fine," Nathan said softly. Jack turned and made it to the door before Nathan called out, "Carter?"

"Yeah?" Jack replied, not quite meeting the other man's too direct gaze.

"I didn't do anything… I mean… we okay?" Nathan asked, and Jack forced a grin.

"Don't worry about it, Scientist," he scoffed, his tone much lighter than he felt. "You didn't do anything I want to kill you for. I think I might actually like you better drunk and incoherent though," Jack joked.

"Cute, Sheriff," Nathan replied. "I can't believe I'm about to say this, but thanks for the rescue."

"Don't worry, I'm pretending I didn't hear it," Jack returned. "Your car is still down at Café Diem," he added before leaving the doorway. He went into the living room, pulling on his shoes and uniform shirt. He slung his belt on loosely, before heading out the door.

"Cold shower," Jack told himself, starting the Jeep. "Cold shower, and forget this ever happened."

Forgetting it wasn't nearly as easy as Jack had hoped. Jo pounced the minute he walked into the station. "Seriously, Carter, I gotta know. Stark, drunk? That's got to be a once in a lifetime opportunity for mocking."

"The man proposed and got shot down, Jo," Jack replied, a bit more acerbic than he meant to sound. "I think I'll pass on the mocking for now."

"Okay, chief, but you should probably know that the first thing Allison heard this morning when she came into Café Diem this morning was Vince telling…" she paused, gulping some coffee to cover her hesitation. "…some people about how Stark was all over you last night."

"Some people, huh?" Jack repeated, crossing his arms. "You and Vince should know better than to gossip, Jo."

"Come on, Carter, I got almost 200 bucks in Henry's pool riding on you and Stark," Jo wheedled, and Jack stopped, taken aback.

"I'm sorry?" he asked. "You have what on what in Henry's what?"

"Well, possibly, after the events with the purple flowers that made people crazy Fargo and I took our money off of Allison and you and went with what everyone thought was a longshot youandStark." The tempo of Jo's speaking had steadily picked up throughout her babbling as Jack's face grew dark.

"You and Fargo were betting that Stark and I would hook up?" he surmised, setting his coffee mug down so he wouldn't drop it. "Over Allison and I, and over Stark and Allison?

"And Vince and Henry," Jo squeaked, retreating behind her desk. "Hey, Dr. McClure called this morning. Taggert's robo-dog got into his flowers again, how 'bout I go deal with that?"

"Yeah, you do that," Jack replied, sitting down in his chair slowly.

"Though I imagine a lot of people will jump camps after last night, so if you could close the betting by telling me if anything happened…" Jo asked hopefully, and Jack let his head fall onto his desk with a thud.

"Go!" The sound of Jo's laughter filtered back to him; she hadn't made it to the door before she lost it. Jack left his head on the desk until the phone rang, making him rouse just enough to grab the receiver. "What?" he asked, tiredly.

"Good morning, Carter," he heard Allison's crisp cool tone, indicating she wasn't pleased. "I need you up at GD this morning."

"Great," he muttered, pushing himself to his feet again. "I'll be there soon."

"Thanks," Allison said, and then added, "Hey, Jack. Thanks for taking care of Nathan last night."

"That's what I'm here for," Jack remarked before hanging up. "Cleaning up your messes," he added darkly.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Last Call, Part 2/3

Pairing: Jack/Nathan

Rating: R, overall NC-17

Word Count: 2800

Warnings: Spoilers through Season 2, especially certain cliffhangers from episode 213, "A Night in Global Dynamics".

Disclaimer: Don't own them, but if I did, this is how season 3 would kick off.

A/N: Thanks to EclipseKlutz for the review. I understand about the essay/schoolwork, I frequently vanish for ages under it. But thank you so much for the very kind review, I'm glad you enjoyed the story so far.

Nathan had somehow gotten dressed and upright and made his way into GD after Allison's call that morning. He left his sunglasses firmly in place on his face even after he'd entered the building. He'd planned to go to Café Diem and retrieve his car first, only to find he didn't have his keys. He searched all over, but figured Vince must have taken them at some point.

"Dr. Stark!" Fargo greeted him, overly loud, and Nathan glared at him. The effect was lost on Fargo, as Nathan's eyes were completely hidden. "Good, I was hoping to find you before you saw Dr. Blake. I have some things for you to sign, and…"

"Contrary to my presence here, Fargo, I am taking the day off," Nathan replied dryly. "Take it up with me tomorrow."

He left Fargo behind, stammering something, which tripped a flash of memory from the night before. Apparently he'd reduced what's-her-name from zoology, Dr. Solis or something, to tears the night before. He made a mental note to track her down and apologize sometime soon. That list was growing pretty quickly as Nathan slowly woke up. He spotted Carter headed in his direction, and nearly missed a step. His mind had chosen that moment to remind him of Carter slowly unbuttoning his shirt… He cleared his throat, steeling himself. Of course Carter had undressed him. He hadn't been in any state to do it himself, had he? Certainly it had nothing to do with the fact that he wanted to get Carter out of his…

"Stark?" Nathan snapped out of his thoughts, catching the worried look on Carter's face. "Hey, you with me?"

Given the nature of his last thought, Carter's casual words threatened his already shaky composure and he struggled against blushing. "Yeah, still not quite coherent, I guess," he replied quietly. The lack of snappiness seemed to alarm Carter more. "I'll be fine, Carter," he growled, which eased some of the worry off the sheriff's face.

"Good, 'cause I can only save your ass once a week. Quotas, you know?" Carter replied, falling into step with Nathan as they headed toward Allison's office. "So, what's her big emergency?"

"All I got out of her was something about section five," Nathan replied.

"Oh good, just what I need. Henry gone, you hung over, and the world about to blow up."

"Henry will be back," Nathan insisted firmly. "We'll see to it."

"Yeah, and then I'll have a talk with him about gaming felonies," Jack muttered, puzzling Nathan for a moment.

"Ah, you found out about his and Vince's betting pool," Nathan said sagely. "Are they clearing that out since Allison said no?"

"No, it only clears if someone actually hooks up according to Jo," Carter trailed off, looking strangely at Nathan. "You knew about this?"

"You're surprised that they bet on which of us would end up with Allison?" he asked, frowning slightly.

"Not exactly," Carter muttered. Nathan was still frowning, and Carter shrugged in his direction. "Never mind, forget I said anything."

"There another bet going on?" Nathan asked, raising an eyebrow. Carter ignored him though, stepping a bit more quickly into Allison's office.

"Let's get to it, shall we?" Allison said quickly, and Nathan looked up, a little surprised by the cold note in her voice. He sat down, removing his sunglasses. "Section Five sensors reported radiation in the artifact chamber this morning." Seeing them both start forward, she added, "It was a false reading. I sent a team to sweep the room, and they've found a lot of crossed signals and readings throughout the entire level. We've got no clear camera or sensor footage of the chamber or the corridors leading in from about 1am onward last night."

"You're thinking someone, probably Beverley, got in last night," Nathan concluded. "Why?"

"The field left Kevin," Carter said, sitting up straighter. "The dead artifact is still being stored in the stasis chamber right?"

"She was checking on if it had reactivated," Nathan finished.

"Or someone she was working for," Carter added. "Could she have really made it back into GD and down to Section 5 with the additional security we've had around here the past few days?"

"You think there's someone still on the inside?" Nathan asked, turning the possibility around slowly in his mind. "Would make sense."

"Okay, boys, this tangent isn't helping us. The artifact is still dead, and no sign of the Akashic Field." Allison folded her arms over her chest, her face stony. "That's what they'll report to whomever Beverley was working for. Do we have anything to be worried about?"

"Well, this might be a stupid question, but is there a chance that might happen? All that energy went somewhere, right?" Carter asked, and Nathan turned his head, considering the man silently. "Okay, the creepy staring thing? Getting old," Carter remarked. Nathan frowned, trying to place when he would have been staring at Carter before now.

"I'm sorry, I'm just so unused to you actually having a valid point when it comes to something scientific," Nathan deadpanned. He sounded convincingly condescending he decided. If his head would stop pounding, he'd know for sure, but it was the best he could manage. "I'll look into that."

"Fine," Allison agreed, a little too easily. "Tomorrow. Go home, Nathan."

Nathan let his gaze slide to Allison, keeping up his creepy staring thing as Carter called it for a moment. "Fine," he agreed, standing a little too quickly for his pounding head's equilibrium.

"Oh, hey," Carter's voice stopped him, and Nathan was careful to turn more slowly than he had risen. Carter dug into his pocket and produced Nathan's keys. "Here. Forgot to leave these with you."

Nathan managed to catch the keys, memory suddenly catching him quickly. _His fingers groping inside Jack's pocket, inching along his thigh, god, he didn't want to stop, Jack… Jack's hand around his for one brief moment, his voice, saying he didn't thinking trying to start something with Jack would help him feel better tomorrow… the tone didn't sound like Jack wanted to hit him for his advances… no, too much to hope for, stop…_

"Stark?" Nathan blinked, suddenly aware that while he was thinking, the sheriff had risen and moved closer to him, as had Allison.

"Are you okay?" Allison asked, looking genuinely concerned.

"Hangover," he muttered. "Memory filtering back. The usual. I'm fine, Allie, Jack."

There was along pause, and Nathan looked up cautiously. Jack was looking shocked, but pleased, while the icy touch was back on Allison's face. "You must be feeling really bad," Jack observed wryly. "You never call me Jack."

Nathan blinked, reviewing what he'd said. "Huh," he said, shrugging. "Well, as long as it freaked you out, it was worth it."

Judging from Jack's narrowed eyes, Nathan decided his cool tone and indifference hadn't fooled the man. Jack looked like he was puzzling over something, and suddenly Nathan fervently wished his memories would come back. "Look, Carter, can you give me a lift back to my car?"

Jack looked distinctly uncomfortable, and Nathan was certain something had happened the night before. "Yeah, okay," Jack agreed reluctantly. "Unless, Allison…"

"No," Allison announced decisively. "You two go on, and I'll see you tomorrow, Nathan." The ice seemed to have melted as she saw the awkwardness between them.

Nathan followed Jack out of GD, both men silent as they walked. Nathan watched Jack carefully, trying to trigger a memory. "Okay, seriously, stop staring!" Jack burst out suddenly, slowing to fall into step with Nathan.

"I was behind you," Nathan protested. "You couldn't see me staring!" Belatedly he added, "If I was, which I wasn't."

"You sound like a twelve year old," Jack commented. "I'm going to knock this down to a game of 'I'm not touching you' in a minute."

Nathan gave him a look, which only made Jack grin and stick out his finger. "I'm not touching you, I'm not touching you!"

"Quit it," Nathan growled, brushing past Fargo as they headed out the main doors to GD.

"But I'm not touching you!" Jack replied with a laugh.

"Keep it up and I'll touch you!" Nathan threatened darkly.

The doors closed behind them as Fargo finished dialing a number on his phone. "Hey, Vince, it's Fargo. I want another twenty on Sheriff Carter and Doctor Stark. No, I wouldn't tell you if I had any inside information!"

-

The ride back into town was spent in a much more comfortable silence then had fallen over them at GD. Nathan tried to avoid staring, but he was struggling to figure out why he had decided to stop looking at Jack whenever he could. He had a moment of guilt when they'd gotten in the Jeep. He'd just proposed to Allison, and here he was contemplating how good Jack looked. He cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "Carter, did I do something last night? Something I should know about?"

Jack looked uncomfortable. "Well, I heard you nearly took off Dr. Silas's head off."

"Silas, that's her name," Nathan snapped his fingers, updating his mental note to apologize. "But not what I meant."

"I told you this morning, we're good," Jack said quickly, sounding a little defensive.

"Yeah," Nathan agreed, sensing Jack's hurry to end the conversation. "Just because you said so doesn't mean I didn't do something last night that…"

"Look, Nathan, the point here is that you don't remember." Nathan forced his mind onto the conversation, not how Jack sounded saying his name. "Just… save this conversation till you do. Then we can talk, if you still want to."

"You're freaking me out, Carter."

Jack chuckled, suddenly at ease again. "Consider it payback for using my first name earlier. I started thinking you were brain damaged from all the scotch you drank last night."

"Nah, I can still recite the laws of motion," Nathan joked. "That gets me at least one up on you." He relaxed back into his seat, watching Jack for a long moment. The sheriff pulled the car into a parking spot. He turned the engine off, and was about to undo his seat belt, noticing Nathan's gaze. "I know, don't stare," Nathan commented, and Jack smiled. Nathan briefly contemplated getting out of the Jeep, but his eyes were locked with Jack's. The tension grew, filling the space between them.

"We should…" Jack said softly, and Nathan nodded, not really caring what he was agreeing to. "Right," Jack continued, still not moving.

There was a loud thud as Jo hit the window with her palm, making both men jump. Jack opened his door, and Jo grinned at him widely. "Hey Carter," she greeted him. "Just on my way to add some more money to my current bet."

"Oh for the love of—" Jack groaned, slamming the door behind him. Nathan slowly climbed out, considering the Jeep for a long moment. He was missing something, something about the Jeep…

He walked slowly toward Café Diem, aware enough to process that there was a suddenly drop in the conversation level around him as he entered. "Vincent," he greeted the other man, who had just awkwardly shushed the woman he was speaking with as Nathan sat down. "From what I recall, I owe you an apology for my behavior," Nathan said, swallowing his pride.

"Don't worry about it," Vince replied, obviously hiding a smirk. "It's nice to have some non-lethal amusement around here. Besides, I should probably also apologize, since I'm the one who sort of told Allison about you hitting on the sheriff last night."

"You what?" Nathan asked, his mind jerking to a full halt at Vince's words. His full force glare made Vince wince.

"Well, it's not like I just outright told her, I mean," Vince was babbling. "Deputy Lupo and I were just talking, mainly about the betting pool, and I said I was doubling my money on you and Carter after you were all over him last night, but…"

"Stop," Nathan pleaded, his head aching. He tried to get his thoughts in order to respond, but what spilled out was, "Carter and I? When did that become a betting option?"

"Oh, Henry was the first to bet on it, probably a week or so after everything with Raynes went down…" Vince seemed to sense this was a bad direction, and shifted abruptly. "Fargo jumped on right after the thing with the flower pollen that made us all a little crazy. Jo was after the force shield that almost killed Fargo, and I figured that if it was good enough for them…"

"Right," Nathan set his head on the counter, and Vince set out a cup of coffee. "Thank you," Nathan muttered gratefully. Suddenly Allison's coolness made sense. She'd assumed he'd rebounded into bed with Jack just a day after proposing to her. She understood later what Nathan himself hadn't until right then. It wasn't just a rebound but something that had built over a long time, alongside what he had believed he'd been building with Allie. She'd known all along, though, which was why she'd told him no when he proposed.

"For what it's worth," Vince said, nodding subtly to where Jack was standing outside, discussing something with Jo. "He's not going to say no to you." As though sensing Nathan's gaze, Jack looked up at him and promptly missed the curb as he walked toward Café Diem. "Oh yeah, I'll put another 50 on that."

-

Nathan gave up on the article he had been trying to read and tossed it back onto the pile on his desk. He wandered out to the backyard, lying down in the wide woven hammock he never used anymore. He rewound his day, solemnly making a pact with himself never to drink again unless he had a good recording device on him so he could simply hit rewind and know exactly what hole in his memory was bothering him. Nathan had always been able to remember what happened when he got drunk in perfect clarity. But sometimes it took three or four days to come back, which was far too long, given how Carter was acting.

The sun was warm enough to lull Nathan into a drowsy half sleep, aided by the breeze gently rocking the hammock. He let his mind wander and found himself walking through the day before, up to his decision to get spectacularly drunk. _Vince taking his keys after a couple of drinks. His making an unambiguous offer to Dr. Gray, who had just celebrated his 65__th__ birthday, just to prove he could. Hitting on a lot of people, slowly drinking more as they carefully extracted themselves from the conversation, worried for their jobs. And then Jack had arrived._

_Jack, whom he had wanted in some small corner of his mind ever since Callister, because he hadn't judged Nathan's sadness. Jack, who had actually called him a father. Nathan suddenly remembered his arm around the other man's waist, his free hand sliding over his chest. His fingers sliding along the man's thigh inside his pocket. Nathan pressing tiny kisses along the man's throat, pressing Jack into the side of his Jeep, desperately wanting to press their lips together. Jack promising they could talk, as soon as Nathan remembered. _

_The memory followed Jack's fingers down the buttons of Nathan's shirt and vanished into fantasy, wishful thinking running the images now. Jack wouldn't just gently remove the shirt, his fingers would skim the skin below, tracing the lines of muscle and sinew down until he reached Nathan's jeans. He'd tease as he slowly undid the zipper, his fingers dipping into Nathan's pants, running along the hardness tenting his boxers. His name, slipping out from between Jack's lips, just before they came together for a kiss…_

"Nathan."

God, so good, his name in Jack's deep voice… 

"Nathan?"

Nathan jerked his eyes open, suddenly processing the fact that the voice wasn't coming from his mind. Jack was standing over him, a small smile playing around the corners of his mouth. "Having a good nap?" Jack asked lightly, though Nathan caught a bit of a smirk. Jack had noticed the bulge in Nathan's jeans.

"Until a moment ago, yes," Nathan replied, squinting against the setting sun to peer up at Jack. He had changed from his uniform, into jeans and a soft looking, well-worn black sweater. "What are you doing here?"

"Promised Allison I'd stop by and see if you were okay, making sure you hadn't decided to drown your troubles again tonight." Jack was rambling, his face starting to flush in a way that Nathan found adorable.

"No, I've decided against drinking ever again until I find a reliable recording device so I remember who to avoid and who to apologize to the next day," Nathan informed Jack.

"Probably a good plan," Jack agreed, rocking on his heels in a manner that Nathan was starting to recognize as a sign of Jack carefully measuring his words before he spoke. "So, still no remembering, huh?"

"Actually," Nathan said, sitting up a little, "I think we should probably talk."


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Last Call, Part 3/3

Pairing: Jack/Nathan

Rating: R

Word Count: 3200

Warnings: Spoilers through Season 2, especially certain cliffhangers from episode 213, "A Night in Global Dynamics".

Disclaimer: Don't own them, but if I did, this is how season 3 would kick off.

In Jack's experience, relationship based conversations that began with 'we should talk' were never a good thing. In fact, they usually ended up in heartbreak for him. There were always exceptions to the rule though, and Jack suddenly found himself desperate for one of those exceptions now.

"Look, I know, rebound, and horrible time, plus drunk, and we all do stupid things," he babbled, quickly trying to build some space so it wouldn't hurt so much when Nathan pushed him away.

"Jack."

The single word stopped Jack's outburst, and his brain shorted out when Nathan reached up and grabbed a hold of his sweater, pulling him down close. "Shut up," Nathan murmured, before closing the last few inches between their lips. Jack shuddered at the soft touch of Nathan's beard along his face and even softer lips moving gently under his. Jack's hand came up to cup Nathan's face, moving the kiss from tender to consuming. Nathan's tongue skimmed over Jack's lips, and Jack opened for him, letting the other man's tongue slide over his. He tried to wriggle closer, and the peril of making out in a hammock suddenly became clear as Nathan tipped a little unsteadily, breaking the kiss.

"We should talk," Nathan repeated, his hand sliding up to Jack's shoulder so his thumb could skim along Jack's throat. "This isn't a one-off for me, Jack, and if we just rush in…"

"Yeah, I know," Jack agreed. He eyed the hammock thoughtfully, and nudged Nathan to get him to sit up a little. He slung his leg carefully around Nathan and slid into the hammock behind Nathan. Nathan settled easily between Jack's legs, resting his head against Jack's shoulder.

"That worked well," he observed, feeling oddly comfortable nestled into Jack's body as he was.

"Yeah," Jack agreed, sliding his arms around Nathan's waist. "I could get used to this."

"I want to," Nathan admitted, snuggling against the sweater a little, trying not to blush at his very tactile response to a worn bit of fabric and the hard muscle beneath. "God, you feel good."

"Zoë bought me this sweater for father's day when she was ten," Jack told him. "I've worn it to death. Abby was always trying to throw it away."

"Do you think she'll have a problem, with us?" Nathan asked, suddenly feeling a cool bit of ice in his stomach. "I know she could use it to make custody a problem if she wanted."

"No, Abby wouldn't do that," Jack replied easily. "She and I both have what she liked to call a mixed gender past. Actually, her last email indicated she was seeing an ex-girlfriend again."

Nathan processed this, smiling a little to himself. "You and she really are a lot alike," he informed Jack, who chuckled.

"What about Allison?" Jack asked. His tone was light, but Nathan could feel the muscles tightening all throughout Jack's body as he asked. Nathan deliberately slid a hand into Jack's, gently running his free fingers over Jack's knuckles, waiting for a little of the tension to ease.

"When I asked Allie to marry me, she pointed out that during my entire proposal, I never said I loved her. And she didn't believe I was really in love with her. I told her I needed her and Kevin as my family, as she told me I could have that without marrying her," Nathan repeated the words mechanically. "And then she said no, she didn't want to remarry me."

"And here I thought she was a genius," Jack observed, and Nathan sighed, shrugging.

"I'm thinking she was probably right," he admitted. "I got so caught up in needing to be a family that I missed that it wasn't Allison who I wanted to be with."

"So I guess the next question I need to ask is what are we doing here?" Jack pulled back a little, his blue eyes carefully assessing Nathan's face. "If you want to take some time, make sure this isn't a rebound or anything…"

"It isn't like that," Nathan replied. "I started noticing you as someone I wanted to be with when you understood what Callister meant to me."

"That was nearly a year ago!" Jack protested, and Nathan nodded.

"That's why I'm sure this isn't a one time deal," Nathan informed him. A jagged bit of fear wormed its way into his stomach. "Did you only catch on last night?"

"Honestly?" Jack asked, wincing a little. "I thought you were hot the first time I walked into your office. I just assumed you were completely out of my reach. And then you were so much fun to argue with. It was better than flirting to me." He paused, watching how his paler finger laced with Nathan's darker ones. "I know what you mean about the night we went after Callister. I had never seen that side of you. It's amazing."

They were quiet for a long time, just relaxing into each other. "You know that I'm part of a package deal, me and Zoë," Jack told him. "If you're dating me, you have to take her too."

"I can live with that," Nathan agreed easily. "She's a good kid."

"Oh, and this agreeable version of you?" Jack added, and Nathan laughed.

"Don't get used to him," Nathan teased. "I enjoy sparring with you too much to give it up entirely."

"Thank god," Jack replied, grinning. "I mean, me too."

"Anything else we should discuss?" Nathan asked, suddenly sobering.

"Uh, I don't think so," Jack looked puzzled by the sudden shift in Nathan's tone.

"Good," Nathan murmured, sliding up a little so he could loop a hand behind Jack's head, drawing him into a quick, fierce kiss. "I want to go back to this part." Jack slid a little into the hammock, so Nathan could roll himself up on top of Jack, their bodies pressed tightly together. Nathan dipped his head down to taste Jack's lips again, moaning as Jack surged up into the kiss, his tongue trying to take control of the kiss.

Nathan eased a hand under Jack's sweater, making Jack groan as well as calloused fingertips slid over his chest. He was about to pull off Jack's sweater completely, when a low trill broke their concentration. "Don't answer it," Nathan said, resting his forehead against Jack's.

"I have to," Jack was already digging in his pocket for his cell phone.

"I can make you regret it," Nathan threatened playfully. Jack gave him a long look, and then deliberately flipped his phone open.

"Carter." Jack's authoritative tone was very nice, Nathan decided. Remembering how Jack had gone boneless the night before when Nathan had nuzzled his neck, Nathan grinned wickedly.

Jack frowned, then flushed as Nathan started kissing along his jaw. "Zoë, that's fine. You know, ZOE, if you want to stay late, I'm not home yet either, Zoë." Nathan chuckled at the not so subtle hint to stop. He contemplated it for a moment; it was Zoë on the phone after all. Then he nipped at Jack's throat anyway.

"No, I'm not being weird!" Jack strangled the words, wriggling under Nathan's teasing. "I'm at Nathan's. No, honey, he's not drunk." Nathan slid his tongue up the long column of Jack's neck. "Um, okay, if you want…" Jack thrust the phone in Nathan's face, gasping gratefully as Nathan broke off his attack, wrinkling his brow in confusion at the proffered phone. "She wants to talk to you," Jack explained.

Nathan took the phone gingerly, hesitantly asking, "Hello?"

"Dr. Stark, this is Zoë."

"Yes, I heard your dad mention your name a few times," Nathan replied easily.

"Yes, well, I want to know what your intentions are," Zoë said primly, and Nathan sat up a little, blinking in surprise.

"I… beg your pardon?" he asked incredulously. "My intentions?" Beneath him, Jack was now shaking with silent laughter.

"Whatever, you and my dad are so not subtle, so I know you've either hooked up with him already, or you're working on it. I just want you to know that if you hurt him, Jo is going to show me thirteen ways to brain damage a man with one blow."

"You have my word, that's the last thing I want to do," Nathan promised. There was a pause through the phone while Zoë considered his statement.

"All right, but you're coming over tomorrow night for dinner."

"Sounds good," Nathan agreed. Jack, sensing that the conversation had moved out of the realm of serious discussion, began to duplicate Nathan's attack on his throat, making Nathan almost drop the phone. "Did you need to speak with your dad again?" Nathan asked hopefully.

"Just…get it out of your systems now, okay?" Zoë pleaded in typical pained teenager tones. "Ick, Grownup PDA."

"We'll work on that," Nathan agreed with a laugh. "Goodnight, Zoë."

"Goodnight, Dr. Stark."

She hung up before Nathan could ask her to call him by his first name. "Your daughter just invited me over to dinner tomorrow night, and suggests we work all this yucky PDA out of our systems so she doesn't have to see it tomorrow night." He tucked the cell phone back into Jack's pocket, wriggling his fingers as he did.

"Right, like that'll happen," Jack scoffed. "It's too much fun to watch her squirm."

Nathan gazed down on Jack, who was smiling softly. "She asked what your intentions are," Jack sounded proud.

"I'm glad you're amused," Nathan teased him, running his fingers through Carter's hair.

"It was almost payback for what I've put the chia pet boyfriend through, except the look on your face was adorable," Jack teased.

"I am not adorable!" Nathan insisted haughtily, making Jack laugh.

"How about tall, dark, and handsome?" Jack murmured, nipping at Nathan's earlobe, grinning when Nathan shuddered against him. "Ah ha, a weak spot!" Jack exclaimed.

"I suppose it's only fair," Nathan agreed reluctantly, "Given that I found yours while I was drunk out of my mind."

"No more of that, by the way," Jack informed him. "I saw you and got so scared and angry." He carded his fingers through Nathan's hair, tugging him down for a fierce, possessive kiss. Nathan poured himself into it, letting Jack's tongue part his lips and claim him deeply. Slowly he inched his hands under Jack's sweater, exploring by touch. Jack gentled the kiss into soft exploration, mimicking Nathan's fingertips tracing his skin.

Nathan wriggled closer, suddenly tugging on the sweater and breaking the kiss. "As much as I love this sweater, I want to see you," he whispered.

"We should probably move inside," Jack replied, cupping his face and pressing lips in a soft kiss. "I'd hate to have to arrest myself for indecency."

"Good point," Nathan agreed, although his mind suddenly was filled with the idea of cuffing Jack to his bed with the sheriff's own handcuffs.

Jack watched Nathan's eyes gleam with an idea, and felt his breath catch, lust pooling in his groin at the sight of Nathan scheming something… something he suspected involved him. "Inside," he said, his voice husky and rough.

Nathan scrambled up, offering Jack a hand out of the hammock. Jack plastered himself against Nathan as he got up, pulling him into a tight quick kiss. Nathan made a soft noise of protest as Jack pulled away. "Damn tease," Nathan muttered.

"Public nuisance," Jack countered. "Besides, I'm only a tease if I don't follow through."

"True," Nathan grinned, sticking a hand in Jack's back pocket, giving him an excuse to keep an eye on Jack's ass as he walked. They made it through the door before Nathan ended up with an armful of amorous Jack making quick work of his shirt buttons. "Off," he demanded, lifting Jack's shirt. Jack complied, then pulled Nathan back up against him. Bare skin slid over bare skin, sending hot skitters of energy along Nathan's nerves.

Nathan pushed Jack backwards as he kissed him, pressing him against the wall. Jack seemed to have gained an extra set of hands, because Nathan's senses were overloading from the gentle touches that seemed to be everywhere at once. He found himself fascinated with the dips along Jack's biceps, with the curve at his hip. He eased back from Jack, realizing he'd pushed his leg between Jack's. Jack moved after him, trying to maintain contact, pinning him against the wall in turn.

"God, what you do to me," Jack murmured. His fingers were undoing Nathan's belt when a shrill phone ring broke their reverie. "Not me this time," he observed breathlessly, still fumbling with Nathan's belt.

"I should…" Nathan panted, groaning as Jack slid his fingers deliberately over the hardness under Nathan's jeans. "If it's important, they'll call back," he decided. He scrambled to open Jack's jeans, their fingers racing even as Jack's mouth found his again. This time it was Jack who slowed them down, his fingers wrapping around Nathan's wrists and pulling them sideways to pin them to the wall.

"Maybe we should take this to a bedroom?" Jack suggested, and Nathan nodded gamely. He wriggled his wrists against Jack's grip, surprised when Jack didn't ease up. "Come on," Jack baited him, suddenly filling the air with a light teasing energy. Nathan grinned and threw his weight into the struggle, knocking Jack back a little. They wrestled back and forth a little as Nathan found his footing again.

He waited for Jack to fall into a pattern of counter moves, then leaned up and pecked him quickly before whispering, "Catch me if you can, Sheriff." His hands slid free while Jack was surprised, and Nathan darted out of the kitchen and toward the bedroom. He chuckled as he heard Jack curse somewhere behind him. He slid on the hardwood floor as he hit the living room, losing momentum as he headed toward the bedroom. He had reached the bedroom when Jack tackled him into the bed.

Nathan managed to turn to face Jack, pinned beneath the other man's body in a way that made him hard enough to pound nails. "Hi," he whispered, framing Jack's face with his hands. He lifted up just enough to press his lips them to Jack's. Jack slid his hands between their bodies, finding the snap and zipper and making quick work of them. Nathan quickly attempted to catch up, encountering a row of buttons instead.

"Okay, the jeans have to go," he snarked, and Jack chuckled, helping him with the buttons. Jeans and boxers became a tangled heap on the floor, and Nathan couldn't have cared less when he heard his cell phone land with a thud on the hard wood floor. His eyes rolled up in his head for one brief moment as Jack wrapped his fingers around Nathan's already leaking cock, his fingers slowly exploring the ridges. Nathan groaned, but the sound was swallowed by Jack's kiss.

Jack moved his attack up Nathan's jaw as his hand continued to caress with too gentle touches that had Nathan arcing into the touch, aching and desperate for a stronger touch. "Stop teasing me," he whimpered, the sensations doubling as Jack nipped his earlobe. Nathan knew they were both too wound to make it last long.

"No chance," Jack murmured, slowing his hand, making Nathan moan softly. "You make such interesting noises."

"I'm the scientist, I should be the one experimen--… ahh," Nathan's breath hitched as Jack grasped his cock solidly, slow but firm strokes replacing the light touches. "Please," he gasped, and Jack complied, his touch growing rougher and speeding up. Nathan cried out, arching and moaning as he came suddenly, unable to hold back against the sensations swamping his body.

He slowed his breathing, carefully rolling his body over on top of Jack's. He kissed Jack, aware of Jack's erection nudging at his hip as they pressed together. Jack raised his hips eagerly, and Nathan pressed a hand into his chest, pushing Jack back down against the mattress. "Now, now, patience, Jack," he teased, enjoying turning the tables. He kissed a line down Jack's neck, keeping his hands on Jack's hips, pressing down to keep him from rubbing against Nathan.

Jack groaned in frustration, but it faded into a moan as Nathan closed his lips around one of Jack's nipples, licking and teasing the peak. Jack took a deep breath, struggling to control himself. The next moment he shouted, startled as Nathan's lips closed over the head of his cock, licking and teasing.

"God, Nathan, please," Jack begged, his hands tangling in the curls at the nape of Nathan's neck. Nathan took the invitation and sucked Jack in as far as he could. He swirled his tongue around, pulling up long gone memories of the last time he had done this. Jack's breath was coming out mixed with little whines of pleasure, sounds that were pure Jack. He eased off a little, running his tongue along the vein at the bottom of Jack's erection, making Jack mutter hoarsely, odd scraps of words that resembled Nathan's name spilling out of his mouth. Nathan sucked hard, his fingers slipping down to caress Jack's balls.

"I'm gonna…" Jack managed to stammer, and Nathan sucked harder as Jack came, filling his mouth. He swallowed, and then slowly slid back up to rest next to Jack.

Jack snuggled into Nathan's chest, pressing a few gentle kisses along Nathan's collarbone. "I didn't expect you to do that," he confessed, and Nathan pressed a kiss to the top of Jack's head.

"Glad I could surprise you," Nathan replied, letting Jack burrow in closer, sliding his leg over Nathan's. Nathan adjusted so Jack could lay half over him, and Nathan could wrap his arms around him. Sensing Jack drifting into a comfortable drowsing, he managed to snag a soft quilt from the foot of his bed and pull it over them, so he could join Jack drifting into a pleasant sleep.

-

Allison unlocked the front door, spotting the abandoned shirts littered between the kitchen and dining room. She slid quietly over to the doorway of Nathan's bedroom, watching for a moment as the two men slept, heartstoppingly beautiful wrapped up in each other. The last little bit of reservation she had about the two men melted. She smiled, back tracking to the front door.

"Nathan?" she called out, closing the door with a bang this time. "Your cell phone is going straight to voice mail!" She savored the moment of Jack and Nathan cussing, falling over each other to get dressed.

"Take your time, boys," she called out, unable to stop herself from grinning. The teasing from this could entertain her for weeks. And the mental images… she shuddered pleasantly, settling into the recliner to wait for them. The problems at GD weren't that urgent. After all, Fargo blew things up every day.

She pulled out her cell phone, dialing the number for Café Diem and not bothering to keep her voice down as she spoke. "Vince, you can close down the betting. I'm confirming Jack and Nathan as the winners." She bit her lip to keep from laughing as loud thuds and cursing echoed down the hall at her words.


End file.
